The Knicks recognize the Magic’s strong defense as what they used to have

As he entered the locker room Tuesday night before the game, Karl-Anthony Towns greeted the reporters and media personnel in the nearly empty room, pumping his fists in a salute. He then made a point of reaching out to a person he had missed — until he saw it was an Orlando Magic reporter and joked that he couldn’t greet him.

This may seem like a throwback to the old days of the Knicks, when games were considered battles in a war and whether Pat Riley or Jeff Van Gundy was coaching, the opponent was the enemy. And Tuesday’s meeting with the Magic wasn’t just a chance to play for a spot in the NBA Cup, but also a chance to look in the mirror. It is a picture of what they once saw as themselves and believe they can be again.

While the Knicks lead the NBA in numerous offensive metrics, the Magic appear to be a Knicks throwback team as Orlando now boasts the NBA’s top-rated defense. Despite star and franchise face Paolo Banchero being undermanned and sidelined with a torn oblique muscle, the Magic have managed to become the hottest team in the NBA. They entered Tuesday with six straight wins and 12 in their last 13 games.

And they did it with courage and defense.

“They’re going to be physical,” Jalen Brunson said. “I’ve known (Magic) coach (Jamahl) Mosley for a long time. He was always tenacious on defense. That’s what they do. They play both sides of the ball well, but defensively they are statistically the best right now.”

“You don’t make up for what Paolo does,” Mosley said. “I think you just have to adapt to find the right fit for young men who are also hungry to take on a different role. What Paolo brings and the attention he brings with double teams, effort. When he touches the ball, all eyes will be on him. As far as assists and rebounds, there are so many things he provides for us.

“In this moment when he is not with us and can play, the boys stepped up. We rely heavily on defense and understand how we need to play to generate more offense. There are people who have reached a higher level of play. … Everyone found a different role and accepted it and was able to develop in it.”

The Knicks have managed to keep their starting lineup intact this season – Towns missed one game and it was the only absence of any of the five starters. And they created a strong offense behind the play of Towns and Brunson

But they came into Tuesday’s game ranked 22nd in defensive rating – not entirely unexpected given that they had Towns at center and were without Mitchell Robinson, an elite rim protector.

“For me, net rating is the most important thing,” Thibodeau said – and that puts the Knicks in sixth place in the league. “How many do you score and how many do you give up?” I think we are in the top 10 in terms of points allowed. We are top 10 in points allowed in the game, top 5 in defensive turnovers. (We are) top five in second chance points allowed (and) sixth or seventh in rebound margin.

“I look at it as a whole. That’s the big thing. Do I want us to challenge the punches better? Yes. This is a big deal. I still think we can do a lot better offensively. That’s why I don’t want to deviate from striving for daily improvement on both sides of the ball. After all, you want to give your best at the end of the season. So you try to get better every day.”

The Knicks proved that at times – they won a one-sided game in Denver and limited New Orleans to a season-low 85 points in their final game. But it also looked like they lacked the toughness that characterized the old Knicks teams, that characterized the Thibodeau-coached teams and that the Magic showcased.

And if you closed your eyes while listening to Mosley describe his team, you could imagine it was Thibodeau. “Bound together,” Mosley said of his team. “We have five guys on the clock. Active hands. Active bodies. Great positioning. High level of communication. These guys just love defending the right way for each other.”

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, as well as nearly every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.